The Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) last week approved appropriating $1,258.000 in additional permit revenue for the hiring of 16 new positions that Code Enforcement officials say will help the department move toward more collaborative review and inspection of building projects.

The new hires approved by the BOCC will be “hybrid collaborative positions” that will incorporate plan review and inspections for large projects like institutional, multifamily and mixed-used developments. By tapping into the trends toward Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), this new strategy will allow Code Enforcement to better serve these large developments by integrating electronic plan review and field inspections.

Smaller construction projects, while not directly affected by the new service approach, should still benefit from the additional capacity created by the hiring of new inspectors. REBIC supports the new hires, but sees it as one small step among many improvements that are needed in the county’s plan review and inspections process.

We are continuing to work with the County Commission to raise awareness about the need to address problems in the Code Enforcement division, from plan review delays to inspection inconsistencies. Members of the Board last week asked some hard questions of department director Jim Bartl, and Charlotte’s new mayor, Patrick Cannon, has said he will prioritize an initiative to better coordinate development and construction plan review between the City and County.